What exactly distinguishes humans from other species? Defining humankind has perplexed scientists, philosophers, and theorists for centuries. DNA composition differentiates species in a technical sense but hardly satisfies metaphysical yearnings. Certainly something more ethereal separates humans from “lower” creatures. Over the centuries, several definitions emerged — from using tools to speaking — but all proved …
The simplest way to think about the relationship between energy and food is to recognize that food is a form of energy. Food stores chemical energy that bodies convert into kinetic energy to activate muscle power. Agricultural operations for growing crops and raising livestock consume energy, and processing, packaging, transporting, refrigerating, and preparing food also …
Water and energy are interconnected. Society uses water for energy and energy for water. In many ways this relationship can be good news. Unlimited, clean, accessible energy could produce all the water needed through desalination or long-distance pumping; and unlimited, clean, accessible water could produce all the energy needed through bioenergy crops and hydroelectric dams. …
Climate change is one of the most important and long-lasting environmental impacts of the energy sector. The potential downsides of major climate change include rising sea levels, droughts, floods, heat waves, famine, and disease. While the phenomenon was originally known as global warming, the nomenclature has shifted to climate change to reflect the fact that …
Energy enables many great things, but also carries many downsides. One of the most important downsides is how energy production, trade, and consumption impact the environment. Typically, environmental impacts fall into one of three categories affecting either land, air, or water. Water impacts include the quantity of water used for energy needs and water quality …
Chapter 28: Energy and the Environment I: Air, Land and Water Read More »
The energy industry is the largest industrial sector in the world. It enables the modern economy through the movement of goods (by use of transportation fuels for ships, trucks, trains and planes), management of information (with electrically-powered telecommunications and computing), and efficient provision of services. Consequently, the energy sector is a critical driver of the …